#acewitch snippets

[acewitch-writes]

Last Line Tag

Thanks for the tag @pinklume!

“Sirius.” Remus opens his eyes, unsurprised to find Sirius’ watching him. 

“Yes, love?”

Remus swallows back bile, involuntarily flashing to the words printed on the file.

Love potion.

He hates the Original Remus. Loathes him. How could he take away Sirius’ will? Was he really content to keep him this way, tethered like a dog, drugged to be meek and subservient and nothing like Sirius Black?

He was pathetic. He deserved to die the way he did.

“Don't take your stabilizers in the morning,” Remus commands in a whisper.

Sirius tips his head, hair ruffling against the pillow. “But I'm supposed to.”

“Not anymore.” Remus tries to make his voice resolute. “You have new orders to bring them straight to me. All right?”

Sirius blinks slowly, and even his confusion seems hazy now that Remus knows what he knows. The bravehearted, strong-willed rebel of a boy that Sirius is supposed to be has been whittled down to a ghost. All of his sharp edges are blunted, all of his fire dulled.

And it was done to him by Remus.

In this moment, it doesn't matter that it wasn't the same Remus. Because it was still a version of him, a carbon copy that shares the same blood, same parents, same mind. Only the circumstances of their lives separate them.

The shame feels like it will burn him alive.

Somewhere deep inside of him, Remus considers, perhaps, that every version of him is capable of smothering Sirius like this.

[wolfstargazer]

WIP tag

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

1. Patient Potions Master

2. Without You I'm Nothing

3. Sleeping with Ghosts

4. No Coward Soul is Mine

5. The Last Time

6. Slings and Arrows

6. Carrion Comfort

7. Devil in the Details

8. Never Be Mine

9. Mystery Fest Fic

10. Moments

11. Sirius/Remus song microfic collection

Thanks for the tag @nocturnal-phantoms-fandoms

Some no pressure tags @nogenrealldrama @glassf1re @mundrakan @lulublack90 @acewitch-writes @sliebman10 @puuvillaa @myheadsgonenumb and anyone else who would like to share their WIP.

[remuscariad]

joining with my upcoming marauders\wolfstar fic!! here’s a snippet from death by a thousand cuts ✂️

“It wouldn’t have been that hard to mislead Snape or to tell him to bugger off, but you wouldn’t bear it, would you?” Remus cries out. “You wouldn’t bear mortifying your pride, wouldn’t bear stepping over it and losing just this once for me, so can’t you spare me even now and leave? There’s nothing more to devastate; I’m all ruins. You won, Sirius.”

“I’d rather be damned a thousand times than have you think that this is me winning.”

“Be damned, then.”

No pressure tagging: @clockwrkpendrxgon @acewitch-writes

WIP Wednesday!

Another week, another tag game! Please share your last sentence; or, if you don't have one, share a plot bunny or idea!

Thank you for the tag @whitedarkmoonflower and @thelettersfromnoone

Current WIP is for the Monstreous May Prompts. This is a lil Osferth number.

Osferth looked down at the blood coating his hands and couldn't remember where it came from, how it got there. The hot red liquid dripped down his wrists in thick rivers, soaking the sleeves of his tunic and splattering on the ground at his feet.

No pressure tags: @imnotoverlyobsessive @mrpuppett @sleepstxtic @mrsarnasdelicious @succnfuccubus @barbiedragon @ladyinred2248 @lady-phasma @nyrasproblm @gemini-mama @zaldritzosrose

[acewitch-writes]

Since I privated all of my fics and all I have on my ao3 is a dark!Remus AU oneshot, I figured I would share a snippet of a fic that I was working on before I lost inspiration. I'm not sure if I'll ever return to this idea (maybe someday), but this idea features Slytherin!Sirius and was intended to be a rivals/enemies to lovers wolfstar (with background jegulus) that follows the marauders through each year at Hogwarts.

(When I said "idk I'm new here" I meant it, so idk if I'm doing this right but HERE WE GO)

...

Remus' worst subject is Potions. 

This is largely due to the fact that Professor Slughorn is the worst and seems to think it's a good idea to assign everyone a "potions partner." And since that's not horrible enough by itself, he decided to pair each Gryffindor with a Slytherin for a partner since they share the period. He calls it "a gesture of house unity."

Of course, Sirius is a masterful potioneer. It's honestly infuriating the way he doesn't even have to reference the textbook in order to brew a perfect potion. He always does a one-over of the ingredients and the instructions, closes his textbook and tucks it away, and never glances at it again as he proceeds to create a flawless potion.

So James ended up paired with Severus. Peter is paired with Mulciber. And Remus was lucky enough to be landed with Sirius Black.

Meanwhile, Remus always ends up making several trips to the ingredients storage cupboard because he keeps forgetting something and he has to reference each step in the potion-making process in the textbook about a million times before he's confident that he's doing it right. 

So naturally, Sirius is usually finished with his assignment early on while Remus is still frantically chopping ingredients or stirring the cauldron with immense concentration to make sure he gets the number of rotations exactly right. 

And Sirius gets bored. And when Sirius gets bored, he entertains himself with cruel taunts and pranks.

Today, they are attempting to brew sleeping draughts. It's a simple enough potion, Remus actually thinks he stands a shot at scraping through this particular lesson. But Sirius has other ideas.

"Those aren't asphodel petals."

Remus grits his teeth without looking up from the task of counting out exactly 13 dried petals. "Yes, they are."

Sirius likes to make Remus second-guess himself. He seems to think it a fun game to convince Remus that he's mucking up every assignment. Remus ended up ruining his potion and filling the entire classroom in a cloud of purple foam when he fell for it last time. He has found that his best chance at success is ignoring any advice from Sirius.

"Nope, those are hyacinth petals," Sirius says matter-of-factly, leaning against the table and eyeing the white petals coolly. "Trust me, you don't want to add hyacinth petals to this potion."

Remus almost falters. Either Sirius is very persuasive or Remus is very naive because he knows better than to fall for this. "I know what ingredients I have. The label said asphodel."

"Then it was mislabeled," Sirius quips back. "Because those are not asphodel petals."

Remus can't help it. He pauses for a moment to peer at the white petals, frowning uncertainly. He glances at the picture in the textbook, and it doesn't really help to clear his self-doubt. They look like the same general shape and color, but it's hard to tell since they're all dried and shriveled.

He decides to stick to his gut this time and pointedly begins the task of grinding the flowers into a fine powder. Because even if he's wrong, at least it'll be an honest mistake and not the result of childlike gullibility.

Sirius shrugs and pushes off the edge of the table. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." 

Remus looks up at him. Sirius smirks back. He's bluffing. He's just trying to trick Remus into fucking up his potion. 

Remus defiantly tips the powdered petals into the cauldron, and right as he does so, Sirius backs away from the table. And Remus has about 1 second to realize that he was, in fact, not bluffing this time before the world goes dark.

Waking up is humiliating. Remus finds himself blinking back into consciousness lying on the floor of the dungeon. His vision is all hazy and his mouth tastes funny and he is surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Professor Slughorn is leaning over him, lightly slapping the side of his face to rouse him.

"Come on, my boy, up, up. You're alright, just a small mishap," he says, nudging Remus until he sits upright. "It appears you've mistakenly used hyacinth petals instead of asphodel, it's a common error, the fumes from such a concoction will knock a Hippogriff unconscious upon contact." To the class, he raises his voice to add, "Do be sure to double check the labels in the store room so we can avoid incidents such as this one in the future!"

James comes forward to help Remus to his feet, and Remus can't help swaying a little once he's standing. His head feels terribly woozy and he thinks he might vomit.

"I tried to warn him, Professor Slughorn," Sirius pipes up, expression perfectly innocent. "I told him he had hyacinth petals, but he wouldn't listen to me."

Remus shoots a glare at Sirius, but there's no use trying to defend himself. Slughorn adores Sirius, he's one of his most favorite "Slug Club" pupils, and he can do no wrong in Slughorn's mind.

Slughorn lets out a huff of disappointment, shaking his head. To the class, he declares, "Well, then, let this be a valuable lesson! We should not allow pride to close our minds. We should always be willing to accept genuine advice from others, even those we don't necessarily get along with." He directs that last part to Remus with a stern look. Then, he gestures at Sirius. "Sirius, m'boy, since you have already completed today's assignment, would you be a lad and escort Mr. Lupin to the hospital wing? Simply a precaution, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about, but Poppy may wish to administer a Pepperup potion to counter the effects of the sleeping gas."

Sirius starts to agree when James cuts in. "Sir, I've finished my potion, too, so I could escort Remus to the hospital wing. If that's alright?"

Remus doesn't have a chance to feel grateful to James because Slughorn immediately turns him down. He goes on one of his ruddy "house unity" spiels and insists that Sirius be the one to accompany Remus. So Remus resigns himself to the ongoing humiliation of trailing out of the classroom behind Sirius fucking Black.

Remus is still a little unsteady on his feet and he has the unyielding desire to just lie down and sleep on the floor. But when Sirius offers out his arm to steady him, Remus ignores him and pointedly staggers ahead.

Sirius just shrugs and follows after him. "Hey, it's not like I didn't try to warn you."

"Yeah, you're such a bloody saint," Remus mutters. "Slughorn certainly seems to believe your act."

"Aww, have we still got our knickers in a twist over the girding potion last month?"

"You swapped my doxy eggs for fairy eggs!"

"Or maybe you're just really bad at Potions," Sirius snarks back. "The only resemblance between the two is the size. Doxy eggs are black, fairy eggs are brightly coloured. It's your own fault you didn't notice."

"Yeah, I'm bad at Potions," Remus grumbles. "Which means I am perfectly capable of mucking it up all on my own, without any help from you. Can't you just let me fail in peace?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius laughs. "I've never met anyone as hopelessly gullible as you, Loopy, you make it too easy."

Remus clenches his jaw and falls silent for the rest of the walk. When they reach the hospital wing, Sirius turns on his "innocent-good-boy" act for Madame Pomfrey and informs her of what happened before Remus has a chance to open his mouth. 

She thanks Sirius for being so bloody chivalrous for taking the time to escort Remus here and tells him that he is free to leave as she bustles off to fetch some Pepperup potion from the storage room. Sirius departs with a charming smile, but he pauses in the doorway once Pomfrey is gone.

He looks at Remus and smirks wickedly. "I swapped the labels."

[acewitch-writes]

My last snippet stirred up some interest, so here's another piece of that same story! This snippet is the prologue. Once I have more written, I intend to post it to AO3.

...

“Are you sure you want to go in there alone?”

“He won't talk if anyone comes with me,” Remus responds, ducking away from his father's smothering hands clamped to his shoulders. “I'll be fine. Just trust me.”

Lyall sends an uneasy glance to his wife, Hope, and she nods. “Let him go, Ly. The boy couldn't hurt him even if he wanted to.”

Lyall hesitates a moment longer, chewing on his lip, before exhaling in defeat and standing back. “Alright. Alright. Just… just make sure Protego is enabled. Full coverage, nothing less. Stay back at least two feet from the bars. And shout if something goes wrong. Understood?”

“Yes, dad,” Remus mumbles.

“We'll be right here on the other side of the door.”

“I know.”

“Be careful.”

There's no need, Remus isn't in any real danger here, but he nods anyway. “Of course, dad. Always.”

The Sentinel at the door, clad in the trademarked black robes fitted with leather braces, winding belts, armored chestplate, and sturdy knee-length boots, waves his wand when Remus steps forward, unlatching the magical locks. The door creaks open on metal hinges.

Remus walks inside, trying to keep his head inclined in a show of bravery. But when it clanks shut behind him, he can't help jumping slightly. 

A voice chuckles from the shadows. “You're like a cat.”

In spite of everything, Remus feels his heart perk up. “Symptom of a bubble-wrapped childhood,” he responds to the shadows, eyes scanning the room before him. There is a metal holding cell taking up just over half of the room, bars humming softly with anti-magic enchantments. Huddled on the floor in the corner of the cell, Remus finally spots him.

Sirius. He's dressed in traditional black wizard's robes that must have belonged to his father because they appear to be a size too large. His long black hair is loose and disheveled, dull strands framing his tired, beautiful face. He regards Remus with wary silver eyes from his seat on the stone floors.

“They let you come in alone?”

“Not without a massive fight,” Remus admits. “My dad didn't want to let me.”

“I'm sure he didn't.”

“He thinks you're too dangerous.” Remus says this with a hint of accusation.

“Maybe I am,” Sirius says flatly. He looks down at his hands, secured tightly with silver manacles. “How long has it been?”

“Three months.”

Sirius nods distantly.  “My parents?”

Remus frowns. “Already sent away for reconditioning.”

Sirius’ expression darkens. “Regulus?”

Remus’ heart suddenly starts racing. “Him, too,” he lies. “They'll be assigned jobs soon.”

“Jobs,” Sirius scoffs without emotion. “Call it what it is, Remus. Your mum can't hear you on this side of the door.”

“It's better than death,” Remus points out.

“No, it's not. I'd rather be dead than sent to one of those horrible labor camps,” Sirius snaps. “And if you had any magic of your own, you'd agree.”

“You know that I agree,” Remus retorts. “But you went rogue. I don't know if I can get you out of this.”

Sirius pulls himself to his feet and limps over to the cell door. “Then break me out.”

“I can't.”

“All I need is a Spellcom,” Sirius insists, leaning against the bars imploringly. “Give me yours and tell them I nicked it.”

Remus takes a step back. “Sirius, I really can't.”

“Yes, you can. Just give me the damn Spellcom.”

“You murdered 12 people,” Remus bursts out, unable to contain it any longer. “Their families are outside right now calling for your head! One of the victims was a ten year old girl, Sirius. She was at the zoo with her granny, and now they're both dead because of you!”

Sirius’ expression turns to stone, hands slowly lowering from the bars. “That wasn't my fault,” he mutters coldly. “Dragons are meant to be dangerous and wild and free, not locked up in an enclosure to be gawked at by crowds of muggles. Their own disrespect for the beasts is what got them killed.”

“You let them out! As far as the law is concerned, their blood is on your hands.”

Sirius laughs with harsh contempt. “Godric, listen to you. Always the coward. I knew you were too soft to do what needed to be done.” He returns to his shadowy corner and eases himself back to the floor with a grimace. “Just go. You're worthless to me here.”

This stings. Remus swallows it back, resolve crumbling. “I wanted to help,” he whispers. “I thought we were going to do this together.”

“You would have just held me back,” Sirius says heartlessly. “You're too weak and spoiled. You wouldn't know courage if it slapped you across the face.”

“That's why you left me in the dark?” Remus guesses, heart splintering. “You didn't think I could handle it?”

“If you could, you'd hand over your Spellcom right now,” Sirius responds challengingly. He holds Remus’ gaze for a long moment, waiting, before snorting derisively. “See? You'll watch them ship me away before you ever grow some semblance of a fucking spine.”

Remus feels helpless. He wants to do it. He wants to reach into his pocket to hand over his Spellcom like Sirius is demanding. But there are so many Sentinels outside, he would never make it. And when he finds out that Regulus didn't survive, he'll get himself killed before ever letting them bring him back here alive.

Sirius is a ticking bomb, prepared to blow himself to bits if it means he'll at least get to die as a free man. Remus can't let it happen. He can't live in a world that doesn't include Sirius. Why couldn't Sirius have realized that before he did this stupid thing without him? 

Remus can't think of any other way out of this now. Sirius dug his grave too deep this time. Even with all the power and influence of the Lupin family at their disposal, they can't make this stain vanish. 

There's no other solution. Remus can't let Sirius live out the rest of his days in a labor camp, and he can't let him get himself killed in a violent escape attempt. Which leaves him with only one option.

Remus turns to leave without another word. He knocks on the door, and the Sentinel posted outside opens it at once. As he steps through the threshold, Sirius jeers one final insult at his retreating back. “Pathetic.”

The door slams shut. Remus feels the word curling around his chest, settling there along with all the vitriol and contempt with which it was uttered. Searing him from the inside.

“Are you okay?” his father frets straight away, eyes darting all over his son's body for any sign of damage.

Remus waves him away and lifts his head to face his mother with grave determination. “I would like to have Sirius Black reconditioned into my own personal Sentinel.”

[acewitch-writes]

In honor of my fic, A Love Like the Movies, being ALMOST COMPLETED, I figured I would post a little sneak peak of the next chapter! I almost never post about my fics on here, which is funny considering this blog was meant to be dedicated to my fanfics. Oh well.

Here's the sneak peak for Chapter 78!

...

...

Sirius sits, posture rigid. To the untrained eye, he might appear aloof, even arrogant. But Remus sees the tightness in his shoulders, the barely noticeable clench of his jaw, bracing himself against the storm.

"Mr. Black, would you describe your upbringing as... privileged?" the attorney asks, her voice echoing through the courtroom.

A brief flash of irritation crosses Sirius’ features before he schools his expression into one of impassive neutrality. "Yes.”

"And yet, despite this privilege, you claim your parents were abusive?" the prosecutor continues, skepticism dripping from every word.

The courtroom falls silent, the collective breath of its occupants held in anticipation. Sirius's gaze flickers, just for a moment, towards Remus, seeking his anchor.

"I do," Sirius says, a hint of steel entering his tone. "Abuse doesn't discriminate by social class."

The prosecutor smiles thinly, as if she'd anticipated this response. "Indeed. But let's explore the nature of this 'abuse,' shall we?" She begins pacing before the jury. "You had access to luxury cars, a private jet, an allowance that most people can't even dream of. How exactly does this fit into your version of events?"

"Things... material things," Sirius mutters, struggling to control his tone. "They don't compensate for the nights I spent locked inside the wine cellar, or the weeks I spent at an illegal conversion therapy camp. They don't heal bruises or mend a broken sense of safety.”

The prosecutor pauses, her expression unfazed. "But they do make life easier, don't they, Mr. Black?”

"Not the parts of life that matter," Sirius shoots back without missing a beat.

[acewitch-writes]

Boggart Encounter!

Another Slytherin!Sirius snippet! Remus encounters a Boggart and displays his Gryffindor side.

Somewhat graphic (depiction of gruesome injury, only briefly and not too detailed)

Again, this fic is on hold. I may or may not finish it someday, but since it's not on my list of priorities to finish, I figured I'd share the snippets that I have completed.

...

Remus is shaking so hard, he can't even steady his wand, let alone think of a single defensive spell. His mind has gone completely blank with  numb terror and it's like he's back in his bedroom, too terrified to move or scream or do anything but stare at the monstrous figure of Fenrir Greyback as it came for him in his bed that night when he was 4.

He's going to get him again. Remus is pathetically helpless, quivering on the floor like a coward. His mind keeps telling him to scream! Scream, you bloody idiot, call for help! Just SCREAM.

But for some reason, his body seems to be entirely disconnected from his brain. It won't listen to him. He is frozen, a prey cornered by a hungry predator, unable to force any sound from his mouth.

He is just about to accept his demise when a figure dressed in Slytherin robes appears in the doorway, wand raised cautiously.

Remus feels his heart plummet at the sight of Sirius Black, and he finally finds his voice to call out a warning. "No, Sirius, get out—"

It's too late. Greyback is already turning to face him and Remus can't bear to watch. He throws his hands over his eyes and braces himself for the worst.

Instead, he hears a soft whoosh, followed by a gurgling groan of pain that doesn't sound like Greyback or Sirius, and then Sirius makes a choked sound of horror. 

Remus quickly uncovers his eyes to find that Greyback has vanished. In his place stands a familiar boy with black hair and bloodied Hufflepuff robes, swaying and lurching on his feet, clutching at the intestines spilling from a certainly fatal wound in his stomach.

"Reg?" Sirius sobs harshly, stumbling forward one step towards his dying brother, reaching out a hand. His face looks like it has shattered open, staring at Regulus' hunched frame with frantic terror.

"Sirius," Regulus whimpers feebly. "Help me."

Remus is baffled for maybe two seconds before he realizes what just happened. Greyback is Remus' worst fear. And based solely off of Sirius' reaction to what he is seeing in front of him, the death of his little brother is his worst fear. And there happens to exist a certain magical creature that feeds off of fear.

"It's a Boggart!" Remus gasps out. "Sirius, it's just a Boggart, Regulus is safe! It's not really him!"

Sirius appears to hear him. He turns his head towards his voice without tearing his gaze from his brother's walking corpse and takes a step back. He's starting to hyperventilate, chest heaving and limbs shaking, as he backs right into the wall beside the classroom door. 

Boggart-Regulus moans in pain. "Please, Siri, I don't want to die. Help me."

"What do I do?" Sirius says in a faint, quavering voice, now leaning into the wall, pressing his back hard against it like he's trying to dissolve through the stone.

Remus is surprised that he has to ask. Sirius is a far more capable wizard than Remus could ever hope to be, he should know this. "Use Riddikulus. You defeat Boggarts with laughter."

"How in the bloody hell am I supposed to make this funny?" Sirius snaps, gesturing helplessly at Regulus as he staggers closer and closer, pleading for his big brother to save him.

Well, he's got him there. Remus can't think of a single way to turn intestine-spilling Regulus into something comedic. So he thinks fast and grasps his wand and rises to his feet. "Hey!"

Boggart-Regulus turns and instantly morphs back into Fenrir Greyback, grinning wickedly with those horrible yellow fangs. The way Regulus' tiny body almost seems to inflate into the hulking figure of Greyback is stomach clenching, but it gives Remus a vague idea. 

He points his wand and cries out, "Riddikulus!"

Greyback shrinks down to the size of a small child, no taller than the smallest First Year, but otherwise looks exactly the same. He wears a sparkly pink dog collar with a bone-shaped silver tag that reads "BAD DOG." For a moment, his face is bewildered, which only adds to the comedy of the situation.

A laugh bubbles up from his chest and Remus feels an immense sense of satisfaction as he waves his wand again to subdue the weakened Boggart.

Sirius snaps into action then and he helps Remus force the dazed Boggart into the supply closet, then Sirius shuts and locks the door swiftly with a flick of his wand. Then, they both lean against the door and breathe for a minute while they process everything that just happened.

The silence seems to stretch on forever. Remus isn't sure what to say. He thought he hated Sirius Black, but they just experienced something horrifically traumatizing together and, now that he knows that the evil Slytherin bully with the smug face and heaps of wealth is most terrified of watching his little brother die in front of him, Remus can't help feeling a twinge of sympathy and concern for him.

So, after several minutes of silence, Remus breathes out, "Well, that was fucking horrid."

"Yeah," Sirius mumbles. He forces out a breathless laugh. "You handled that way better than I did."

"Understandable," Remus shrugs. "There really isn't a way to make watching your little brother die in front of you funny."

"Yeah," Sirius says again. His voice sounds far away, like his mind still hasn't quite returned from the nightmare. He slides his back along the door to sit on the floor with a heavy sigh, staring down at his hands like he doesn't recognize them. "I just… I froze. I just fucking froze. Why did I do that? I'm supposed to be better than that."

"So did I," Remus points out in a weak attempt to ease the strange, smoldering anger that has crept over Sirius' face. "It's only natural—"

"I'm the Heir of House Black!" Sirius snaps, interrupting him. "How could I be bested by a bloody stupid Boggart? A Boggart! Pathetic, that's what I am. How am I supposed to protect Reg if I can't even face a simple Boggart? I have to be perfect. And now everyone is going to know what a bloody disgrace I am—"

"Whoa, Sirius, you're flying off the broom handle a little there," Remus eases, lowering himself to the floor as well. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about this."

Sirius looks at him sharply, eyes narrowing. "I figured you'd love an opportunity to put me in my place," he says warily.

"I would. But not like that," Remus says with half a smile. "I think it's admirable how much you care about your brother. I'm not going to punish you for it."

Sirius regards him suspiciously for another moment, narrowed grey eyes studying his face as though trying to decipher ancient runes. Then, when he apparently determines that Remus' words are genuine, he exhales a long, shaking breath. "Good. I don't need the whole of Hogwarts to know that the Heir of House Black wet himself at the first sign of danger and had to be rescued by Loopy Lupin."

"Well, to be fair, I wasn't faring all that well on my own," Remus points out with a humorless laugh. "I'd probably be catatonic by now if you never showed up. How did you find me, anyways?"

"Severus told me," Sirius mumbles, returning those pale grey eyes to his own hands. "He said he was setting a trap for you in the dungeons, wouldn't tell me what for, just that I would find out soon enough." He rolls his eyes. "He's a right nutter these days. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he secretly fancies you. Bloody obsessed."

"So you came to… what? Check it out? Spectate? Point and laugh?"

Sirius scoffs. "I can't believe you'd have the gall to think such a thing after I barged in here to save your pathetic life from that—" He cuts off, fumbling for the words. "—whatever that thing was. Who was that guy, anyways?"

Remus stiffens. "Just… a childhood monster." He hopes Sirius didn't get a good enough look to identify the beast as Fenrir Greyback.

Sirius just nods. "I have some of those."

Remus is hopelessly lost and confused. Did Sirius just say that he ventured down here on a tip from one of his own cronies to save Remus? That can't be what he really meant. Sirius has been nothing more than a thorn in Remus' side ever since their first day as baby faced First Years. He torments Remus gleefully. He hexes him in the Great Hall, he sabotages his potions, trips him in the corridors. He calls him "Loopy" and "Reekus" and "Potter's little lap dog."

Remus simply misunderstood him, surely. Perhaps Sirius has some semblance of a moral compass beneath that haughty face and glittering eyes and smug grin. Perhaps he saw that someone was in danger, actual danger, and the color of Remus' robes ceased to matter for  just a moment.

But he is not Remus' friend.